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I have heard a lot about astragulus from my chinese colleagues. There is a saying in china, if you give it to someone who is dying, he will be ok .. I have tried ginger-astragulus candies, and they are yummy. Not sure how it is helpful in our condition.

Use only the effective roots of Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), which are sold as thinly sliced flat pieces* in TCM stores. It is cheaper to buy loose from TCM medicinal halls but ready packed boxes, like those shown above post in the website : herbalremedies by pozzitive, offer more conveniences as they come in tea bag forms.

In Asia, this herb is used frequently in brewing tonic soups and is as common as using spices like cinnamon or pepper.

If u wanna save time brewing the tea for daily drink, make a bigger pot and add chrysanthemum flowers and a bit of sugar for taste and let it cool. Or simply brew using the tea bag (contains other herbs too) method. Store the extra in a bottle in the fridge. Depending on how much sugar is added, it should last 3-4 days in the fridge. Otherwise, a week if sugarless.

My Aunt is an herbalist and I learned about Astragalus from her awhile back. I had been taking it for awhile and feel that it is one of the main reasons why I haven't been very sick. It's been ages since I've had the flu or a major cold, or anything that would have laid me up in bed. This all before I even knew I was poz.

I just found out I was poz on 9/29/09, and it wasn't from being sick. A routine checkup sent me to the dermatologist to check on a dark spot on my ear. While there they decided to do a biopsy on my ear and asked if there was any other place that concerned me. There was a zit on my arm that wouldn't go away so I said for them to biopsy it -- I only chose that spot because I figured that at least I'd get rid of it. My ear was fine. The arm biopsy came back as KS.

This past month has been one of the most stressful months for me -- KS and HIV is one day. I thought that with all of doctor's appointments and blood draws that had to go along with this and being on the city subways and in the clinic and hospital during Flu season -- around a lot of sick people, coupled with the stress ---that I would come down with something, but I didn't.

Maybe if I hadn't been taking Astragalus I would have been sick earlier and caught my HIV infection before it manifested as KS. I don't know. My CD4 count is 295 and my VL is 51,000 -- maybe the Astragalus helped keep the VL down. I don't know. Everyone is different and maybe there is another reason for my relative good heath.

What I do know is that I'm a big believer in Astragalus and will continue to take it.

is made of wild astragalus from the pollution-free area of northeast China. Astragalus contains polysaccharides, flavonoid, saponins, choline, betaine, folic acid, amino acids, vitamins, and 14 minerals: selenium, zinc, iron, etc. As an adaptogen, it helps the body regain balance and is the most popular herb in Chinese medicine for its tonifying, diuretic, cardiotonic, vasodilating and other useful qualities, to help maintain normal functions of the liver, lung, kidney, stomach and heart, to boost energy, defer aging, detoxify, etc., to bolster white blood cells growth, support the immune systems, and to promote the effect of other herbs, and help reduce side effect of chemotherapy and radiation.

This is my concern. We already know that Saint John's Wort and certain meds is a bad idea. Astragalus, which I used to take, being a complex herb with many medicinal purpose, never seem to do much for me pre med. I cycled on and off trying to see if i can "feel" any effect of being on or off. I got more out of another Adaptogen, Ginseng, which definately helped my energy level, and I could "feel" a difference when I cycled on or off Ginseng. I favored Ginseng in the end and stopped Astragalus entirely.

But Post meds, I am staying off herbal supplements in concentrated capsule form. Having some tea, green, ginger, adaptogen, I don't really see the harm, but in concentrated capsule form I would suggest caution.

My energy level has pretty much recovered since starting meds. So my "need" for an adaptogen is less of a concern.

I use astragalus ground up and drank in a tea or liquid, like a fiber supplement. I have found the Sloan Kettering Cancer website regarding Integrative Medicine and Herbs to be helpful with regard to efficacy and suggestions regarding potential adverse reactions. Although the focus is herbal remedies for cancer, it also discusses application for HIV patients: http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/58481.cfm#A

I usually grind about a half to a third piece of Astragalus root up in my coffee grinder with flax seeds and mix it in a glass of water or juice in the morning. I don't really notice that strong of a taste. You can find it in capsule form too.

The amount (a half to a third piece of root/1x day) was suggested by someone at an herb store to boost immunity. To be honest, I don't really know what a therapeutic dose would be or whether or not the dose would need to be higher depending on how compromised an individual immune system is.

I've been travelling in SE Asia for the past 10 weeks , about 6 weeks ago I came across Astralagus root, I've been boiling it and drinking it through out the day. In the last month I've noticed a big increase in my energy levels ( don't fall a sleep in the afternoon any more ) mentally I feel much better ( that could be due to sunshine and hot weather )

I even manage to play 4 or 5 rounds of golf a week in the tropical heat, amazingly shoot in the mid 70's. I don't know if its the Astralagus or the fact that I've been on ARV'S for two years, but I do feel like I got younger, all the aches and pains seems to have decreased too.

I will be interesting to see my next blood test results which will be in mid April

I've been travelling in SE Asia for the past 10 weeks , about 6 weeks ago I came across Astralagus root, I've been boiling it and drinking it through out the day. In the last month I've noticed a big increase in my energy levels ( don't fall a sleep in the afternoon any more ) mentally I feel much better ( that could be due to sunshine and hot weather )

Hey Sam... what countries are you visiting? I used to travel to Southeast Asia a lot, totally loved the place. Like you, I experienced a noticeable increase in general "energy-ness" there, I always attributed it to the high warmth and sunshine compared my home in the dark damp US Pacific Northwest.

Not sure I'd put faith in astragalus...only six items returned from a search on PubMed for "astragalus HIV," the latest from August 2006.

Hi Okealy I been in Laos , Burma then Thailand, I love this part of the world. I dont know what effect Astralagus has on hiv, if any. The locals do use it for medicinal purposes , to treat which specific illnesses I dont know, I will try to find out. I kow they also use as a general "pick me up tonic " when they feel run down, especially older people.

I am a bit worried about any possible interactions between the astralagus and my arv's not sure if I should be taking astralagus every day.

I hope summer will arrive soon for you Okealy, and you get some sun to cheer you up

Hi Okealy One interesting bit of coincidence I forgot to mention before is, I noticed a hard lump on the inside of my upper lip size of a small pea , about 3 years ago, just before I was diagnosed +ve. It did not cause me any pain or problems so i did not even report it to my doctor. In the last 6 weeks it began to slowly disapear, now it has totally gone

inside of my upper lip size of a small pea , about 3 years ago, just before I was diagnosed +ve. It did not cause me any pain or problems so i did not even report it to my doctor. In the last 6 weeks it began to slowly disapear, now it has totally gone

S.

There are sometimes small cysts that can come and go, without astragalus having any effect on them.

Logged

I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

Hi Okealy One interesting bit of coincidence I forgot to mention before is, I noticed a hard lump on the inside of my upper lip size of a small pea , about 3 years ago, just before I was diagnosed +ve. It did not cause me any pain or problems so i did not even report it to my doctor. In the last 6 weeks it began to slowly disapear, now it has totally gone

I think you're just trying to convince yourself it works, despite little scientific evidence to support its use.

Logged

Piss off a democrat: Take responsibility for your life and your actions.

"When Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies. They blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then they always blame America first." -Jeanne Kirkpatrick

Please, point out to me one piece of peer reviewed research from a controlled clinical trial that shows that astagalus conclusively has beneficial effects on the health of those with HIV.

I'm waiting.....

Somehow asking for evidence and pointing out there is none makes me a troll.

Logged

Piss off a democrat: Take responsibility for your life and your actions.

"When Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don't blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies. They blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then they always blame America first." -Jeanne Kirkpatrick

I tried it in tincture form for a few months. I don't know if it did any good. When I was taking it my CD4 count did go up slightly against expectations and my viral load was less but I certainly cannot say if that was due to the Astragalus or anything else happening at the time.

I have heard of a study which suggested astragalus can fight HIV by slowing down the shortening of telomeres in immune system cells, but not sure how trustworthy that study is.

In any case, it's nothing compared to HAART. Since starting HAART I have stopped all supplements. I'm now convinced that, for now, there is nothing as such in nature that will fight HIV. Only chemotherapy will control it. Good food, exercise and a multivitamin will help as well of course, but these days I put my trust in HAART not supplements which may or may not do anything.

In any case HAART gives results so dramatic as to HIV that it totally blows any supplement I know of off the planet.

I'm not sure if this is the correct place for this post, but will post it here as it may have some relevance to this topic.

During last 4 months I have been drinking Astragalus tea ( boiled root ) everyday.

I had my blood test results today, to my delight, there is increase of 207 of my CD4 count. From 470 six months ago to 677 today.

At the time of my diagnosis my CD4 count was 274 ( dec. 2007 ). I went on ARV's 2 months after, within 3 months my CD4's went up to 420.For the last two and half years it was stable between 470 and 512 .

It may have been pure coincidence the sudden increase and me drinking Astragalus tea.

My question is , is it normall to see such increases in CD4's in six months, if it is can I also expect to see a drop by a similar amount at some time?

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

i have been taking astragalous tablets for months now. they didnt do shit for my cd count on my test before the one i just took. in fact they dropped. so i gave it 3 more months and we will see what happens on this next blood test and then ill decide if i still will take them.

An extract from a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine may help protect the genes of immune system cells and, as a result, enhance their ability to fight HIV, according to a new study announced by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and published in The Journal of Immunology.

When cells reproduce, their DNA gets capped at the ends by long repeated strands of genes called telomeres. Telomeres protect the genes, much like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces. Unfortunately, telomeres get shorter every time a cell reproduces, which ultimately causes the cells to become “exhausted” and to stop functioning properly. This occurs naturally as a person ages, but more rapidly in the HIV-fighting CD4 and CD8 cells of people with HIV.

One of the lead researchers in telomeres and HIV, Rita Effros, PhD, and her colleague Steven Russell Fauce, PhD, of the department of pathology at UCLA, had experimented with gene therapy as a way to keep telomeres from shortening. But ultimately the researchers turned to what could potentially be a much less expensive method: an extract from the medicinal plant astragalus.

According to Effros and Fauce, the extract, TAT2, keeps an enzyme called telomerase turned on. CD4s and CD8s can naturally produce telomerase, which helps keep telomeres from shortening, but only for so long. After a cell has divided too many times, the telomerase gene turns off.

In test tube experiments, Effros and Fauce exposed CD4 and CD8 cells collected from HIV-positive patients to TAT2. Not only did the substance slow the shortening of the cells’ telomeres, but it also increased the cells’ production of proteins known to inhibit HIV replication.

While studies of TAT2 have not yet been conducted in people, the authors believe the strategy “could be useful in treating HIV disease, as well as immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to other viral infections associated with chronic diseases or aging.”

Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, ThailandAbstract

A randomized double blind placebo controlled trial to determine the efficacy and safety of combined-herbs (SH including Astragalus) given with zidovudine (ZDV) and zalcitabine (ddC) for the treatment of HIV infection in Thai adults was conducted in 3 hospitals in northern Thailand during 2002 to 2003. The eligible subjects were HIV-infected Thai adults who had never received anti-retrovirals, had a Karnofski Performance Score (KPS) of > or = 70, and had no opportunistic infections. The subjects were randomized to receive either a combination of ZDV 200 mg three times per day, ddC 0.75 mg three times per day, and SH 2.5 g three times per day or a combination of ZDV 200 mg three times per day, ddC 0.75 mg three times per day, and placebo 2.5 g three times per day for 24 weeks. The main outcome measures were HIV-RNA, CD4 cells, and blood chemistry profiles prior to the treatment and then every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. The baseline characteristics of 60 evaluable subjects, 40 in the SH group and 20 in the placebo group, were not significantly different. HIV RNA at week 4 and thereafter was significantly decreased from the baseline value in both groups (p<0.001). However, the decline in HIV RNA in the SH group was significantly more than that in the placebo group. The CD4 cells in the SH group at week 12 and thereafter were significantly increased from the baseline value. Serious adverse events in the two groups were not observed.It is concluded that an addition of SH herbs to two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors has greater antiviral activity than antiretrovirals only. The SH herbs may be an alternative for the third anti-retroviral agent in the triple drug regimen for the treatment of HIV infected patients in countries with limited resources.

A randomized double blind placebo controlled trial to determine the efficacy and safety of combined-herbs (SH including Astragalus) given with zidovudine (ZDV) and zalcitabine (ddC) for the treatment of HIV infection in Thai adults was conducted in 3 hospitals in northern Thailand during 2002 to 2003. The eligible subjects were HIV-infected Thai adults who had never received anti-retrovirals, had a Karnofski Performance Score (KPS) of > or = 70, and had no opportunistic infections. The subjects were randomized to receive either a combination of ZDV 200 mg three times per day, ddC 0.75 mg three times per day, and SH 2.5 g three times per day or a combination of ZDV 200 mg three times per day, ddC 0.75 mg three times per day, and placebo 2.5 g three times per day for 24 weeks.

Not trying to be contrary, but how many people are still taking Retrovir and ddC these days?

Seroconverted: Early 80sTested & confirmed what I already knew: early 90s

Current regimen: Atripla. Last regimen: Epzicom, Sustiva (since its inception with NO adverse side effects: no vivid dreams and NONE of the problems people who can't tolerate this drug may experience: color me lucky )Past regimensFun stuff (in the past): HAV/HBV, crypto, shingles, AIDS, PCP